28th August, Arlington, Texas: With two events remaining on the World Bowling Tour, FPBA pro Mika Koivuniemi of Finland holds a massive lead in the men's rankings, while Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of the United States stayed at the top of the women;s rankings.

Koivuniemi was the only player on either the men's or women's side among the top three in the rankings to compete in the most recent event on the World Bowling Tour, presented by the World Tenpin Bowling Association.

The Finn earned 24 rankings points for a sixth-place finish at the It's Daejeon International Open Bowling Tournament, which concluded Aug. 26.

Koivuniemi leads the rankings with 149 points, while Sean Rash of the United States remained in second with 90 points and Finland's Osku Palermaa is third at 77.

On the women's side, none of the top six players in the rankings competed in Korea, which left the women’s rankings unchanged among the leaders.

Mika Koivuniemi extending his lead after six stops

Dorin-Ballard leads with 145 points, while Team USA's Kelly Kulick is second with 100. Sweden's Nina Flack remains in third place with 85 points.

The World Bowling Tour is made up of various events around the world throughout the course of 2011. Players earn points based on how they finish in the event and those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top three men and top three women who will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association.

The World Bowling Tour Finals are scheduled to take place at the PBA's World Series of Bowling in late 2011 and will feature a total prize fund of US$40,000. The event will be aired nationally in the United States.

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard remaining in the lead

The top three men and top three women will bowl a stepladder finals format in their respective divisions at the World Bowling Tour Finals. The prize money for each division is the same, with the winner taking US$10,000, second place earning US$6,000 and third place winning US$4,000.

The next stop on the World Bowling Tour in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 24 to 30 and the tour wraps up with the AMF Australian Masters from October 10 to 22 in Sydney, Australia.

The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of more than 100 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit www.worldtenpinbowling.com.